Collective Bargaining

The pay pressure group `Work! Bread! Fair Pay!' organised a hunger march. Protesters demanded that the government restored the minimum pay for public works to 60,200 forints (?202) a month and that it should be paid monthly, not weekly. They are also pushing for more access to public works for families in need.
Accommodation was offered by various cultural and political organisations throughout the itinerary.
English: http://www.politics.hu/20130204/hunger-marchers-depart-from-miskolc ...

Disagreement over payments to staff who might become redundant in the future has led to a strike at the Sabic plant in Geleen (see the January Newsletter). The company has not been able to successfully negotiate the issues with the trade unions, and it also has not been able to draw a real picture of the impact that the strike would have on the production and profits.
English: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/02/uk-sabic-europe-strike ...

During a working visit Switzerland has formalized the ratification of the International Convention on employment policy. Also signed was an agreement intended to strengthen collaboration between the country and the ILO on technical cooperation. The agreement is for 12.4 million Swiss francs, allocated to the ILO's Better Work programme for 2013-2016.
English: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/media-centre/press-releases ...

The road to recovery in Europe's auto industry will not be without obstacles. Many jobs are still on the line. Only a few carmakers are managing to pull through, by placing their bets on highly skilled labour. One of the consequences of the crisis in the European automobile market is the planned closure of several steelworks by Arcelor Mittal, such as in Liege in Belgium, and Florange in France. According to an analysis of the Belgian information centre CRISP, published in the daily Le Soir, it is first and foremost the system of globalisation that allows industrialists to open and close sites as and when it suits them. For any industrial group, every investment is seen as a source of profit and becomes an adjustable variable when so required by the market.
English: http://www.equaltimes.org/news/europe-worst-yet-to-come-for-car-industry
French: http://www.crisp.be/2013/01/mittal-patron-voyou/

Although series like `Borgen' often present a positive image for women at work the reality can be different. Employers tend to find out more about candidates before hiring them, and it is not unusual for interviewers to ask someone's age, marital status, and whether they have children. The Union of Public Employees, the third largest trade union in the country, reported that it was handling 30 cases of women who felt they had been wrongly dismissed, and others report violations of the law in the job application process. In 2012, one in eight newly qualified nurses were asked at interview if they had, or planned to have, children, according to the nurses' union Dansk Sygeplejer†d. The trade unions are encouraging members to stand up for themselves and make full use of the legal provisions that exist.
English: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog ...

Nissan Motor Co. announced the expansion of production and the hiring of an additional 1,000 workers following an agreement by unions. Nissan's management and the trade unions signed a competitiveness plan, which includes a 20% cut in wages for new employees, but guarantees the rights of the current workforce in the event of future layoffs. The decision followed six months of negotiations between union representatives and management. Talks broke off on 17 January before being renewed again. In addition to new hiring by Nissan, the expansion could create an estimated 3,000 jobs at supplier companies and other firms doing business with the plant.
English: http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/02/04/inenglish ...

In a meeting of the European Employment Committee the European and national-level social partners expressed serious worries and felt that the autonomy of the national level should be preserved. According to the ETUC it is unacceptable that reforms restricting collective bargaining coverage and the freedom of trade unions to set wages are deemed to be `employment friendly' by EU institutions. A Eurofound background paper delivered the participants a comparative overview of the levels of collective wage setting and how they are set throughout Europe. It also reported on reforms, changes or debates linked to these processes between the different actors at both the Member State and the European level in 2011 and 2012.
English: http://www.etuc.org/IMG/pdf/20130201 ...
http://www.epsu.org/a/9206
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2013/07/en ...

Despite the economic and financial crisis a collective agreement has been signed between the Employees Association (LANV) and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (LIHK). After twelve rounds of negotiations which were held in a fair and objective atmosphere, the new agreement became effective by January 2013. Trade union priorities in the negotiations were the non-discrimination of atypical working conditions, the protection of personal rights and equal opportunities and improved arrangements relating to the compatibility of family and work. The Chamber of Industry and Commerce focused on more flexibility during the economic downturn, especially on more flexibility regarding working hours. However, a working hour variance must be agreed with trade union or by the works council members. Over 9,000 employees will benefit from the new agreement.
German: www.lanv.li

A law broadening the scope of unemployment benefits to include self-employed workers came into effect the 1st of February. However, as it turns out the people concerned will still have to work for two years (until 2015) to become eligible. The benefit level is set at 65% of the workers' base salary.
English: http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/self-employed-entitled ...

The European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) Quarterly of Eurofound provides data on macroeconomic trends and prospects. The first issue of 2013 has a focus on the European print media, where falling circulation and technological changes are squeezing the sector. The sector has experienced huge changes in recent years, due to competition from online media and the plethora of free news sources on offer. Changing reader habits, in particular those of young people, mean that online provision is gaining readership while print media is losing out. Thus, the sector has experienced significant business restructuring in many countries, which is likely to persist as newspapers continue to suffer from decreases in sales, subscriptions and advertising revenue.
English: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2013/08/en ...